Tuesday, March 31, 2009

The future of the Focus RS

Despite all the game-changing attributes of the Focus RS we suspect that, had the economic crisis arrived a bit earlier or the development process took some more months, this fantastic car might have been cancelled. And therefore we also suspect that Ford might not be considering a future replacement at this stage. Please don’t do such thing, the future of the Focus RS should be approached in a “911 style”.

The 911 reference is obviously a Porsche inspiration and on how the 911 changes through generations with evolutionary changes. This approach is critical in order to keep low development and investment costs and assure that the legend continues… building the icon! So the next RS should be approved right now and a cheap development program prepared based on the next generation Focus. We can think of some evolutionary improvements: more refinement, some weight reduction, engine upgrade (possibly with direct injection), eventually the availability of a dual-clutch gearbox. We were thinking of adding AWD to the list… but now that Ford built the best FWD car on the planet it seems appropriate to continue being such reference. As long as Ford keeps building and developing the Focus RS, the auto industry might have produced a new icon.

1 comment:

I expect Ford to merge ST and RS in the next generation. ST is an off-the-line model, while RS is extensively modified by the RS team.

The RS team was just merged with the SVT team - the guys that built the SVT Raptor F150, the Mustang GT500, the Ford GT, and designed the MkI Focus ST170 (SVT Focus in US).

I expect Ford to take a clue from VW (R20)downsize the engine in the next RS to a 2.0l EcoBoost (200-250hp) focus on weight saving and handling, and eliminate the ST, and offer one high power edition Focus in Europe - a mix.median split between ST and RS. (and offer this car as SVT Focus in US).